How Sex Affects Your Athletic Performance

Does Sex Make You A Better Athlete?

Our sex lives can affect many other areas of our lives, including our health and even our ability to remember information. So, in light of the Olympics, the sex toy company Adam & Eve decided to test if sex could also affect how good we are at sports. It teamed up with Dr. Mike Young, PhD, an Olympic coach, to monitor how the sex and masturbation habits of 21 national and college athletes — 10 women and 11 men — influenced speed, strength, and agility.

Sure enough, more frequent sex and masturbation correlated with lower running times, higher vertical-jump heights, and greater strength. Solo sex was especially powerful, leading to a 10% increase in agility and a 13% increase in strength.

It might sound out-there, but similar results have been found before. Nearly half of runners under 40 in a Brooks Running survey conducted last year said they performed better in races if they had sex first.

However, Young said in a press release that athletes' subjective perceptions influence their performance more than their sexual behavior itself. "If they feel like participating in a sexual activity will improve their athletic performance then it more than likely will and they should strategically seek out opportunities to be sexually active," he said. "Similarly, if an athlete feels like sexual activity impairs their athletic performance, then it probably will and they should avoid it at all costs.” Athletes who believed in the power of sex to improve their skills were 68% more likely to see improvements.

So, if you feel like it increases your fitness, there's one more reason to have as much sex as you want — not that you need one.